


Shadow of the Rampart

by Reverse Justice (56leon)



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, New Game Plus, Redemption, Spoilers, because Akechi deserves it, but it's a long and painful journey, death is temporary if you try hard enough
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-03-22 11:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13763181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/56leon/pseuds/Reverse%20Justice
Summary: When he felt the world crumble, he thought it was over. But Palaces are made of the strongest desires, and a deal with a devil brings Goro Akechi back to the beginning- at a price. Now the prince of Justice is a lowly Fool as history turns in on itself, and Akechi is the only one who seems to realize it./NG+!Fool!Akechi AU/





	1. Emancipation for the Damned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlackCatFantasia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCatFantasia/gifts).



> Okay, so I've been sitting on this idea for literal months. Ever since I got to Madarame's Palace, at least......with spoilers, of course.

 

_ This is the way the world ends / not with a bang but a whimper _

T.S. Eliot, Akechi determined, was full of shit. The way the world -  _ his _ world - ended was nothing short of a bang, an explosive shot of air followed by a bullet lodged neatly in his heart.

It wasn't just  _ his _ heart, though, but also the one of his shadow -  _ cognition? He still didn’t know the difference, only that if you killed one they died _ \- and the bullet one from his own barrel. Maybe it would have been easier to wait for the water to rush up and kill them both, even them  _ all _ if Shadows were susceptible to drowning, but Akechi always was one for dramatics, and drowning slowly was so..... _ mundane. _

That was why he took the shot, at the same time his own cognitive self could, both of their eyes mirroring lifelessness- the fake Akechi from living a life of servitude, and the real one from escaping from it the only way he knew how. It was like a pantomime, the way they collapsed to their knees in tandem and still kept looking at each other, even as darkness swam at the edge of their respective visions. The Shadows were closing in, but it didn't matter anymore. He would die regardless, and at least he would get to hear the satisfying thud of his warped cognition hitting the floor at the same time as he did.

Oddly enough, that satisfaction never came.

* * *

 

“Let me out of here!”

Hours bled into days, which further bled into weeks; frankly, Akechi didn’t know how long he was in that blasted cell, but  _ months _ felt like an underestimation. He was used to having eyes on him, as a public figure viewed both positively  _ and _ negatively, but this was different. There were only three pairs, two of them right outside the cell he was trapped in and the third sitting at a desk with his fingers laced in front of his mouth. It would be enough to drive any lesser man mad, and if that was their intent, they were lucky that Akechi was already half mad as it was.

“Damnit, I said let me out! You- you can't keep me in here! Let me die, for all I care!”

That was where he had woken up, moments after his death. It was still disorienting to think about, and so he tried not to, but it was  _ hard,  _ especially when the last thing he remembered was the thought that it was over. Because of the blasted jail cell, however, it was, in fact,  _ not _ over, and he wanted nothing more than to know which deity he had pissed off enough to not be allowed to die. They would probably enjoy a nice talk with Loki.

Still, the rage boiling in him was doing him no good, and although that just pissed him off more, he was still rational enough to realise that they were waiting for him to settle. As if reading his mind, the old man in the chair seemed to smile even wider as his snarls turned to mute scowls, his eye twitching only slightly as he held back more scathing remarks.

“Are you quite done?”

Akechi bit back a sarcastic reply, just barely and only because his surprise gave him a moment of hesitation before speaking. The old man had a timbre he wasn't quite expecting, his voice darker and lower than somebody who looked past their prime had any right sounding. Still, he recovered quickly and instead just frowned suspiciously, nodding.

“You don’t seem to be aware of the predicament you’ve been put in.”

If the old man said anything less obvious, Akechi would break every bone in his body just to slip between the bars of this cell and kill the man himself. He had just  _ died, _ there was no sense to anything that was occurring; but if he said that aloud, he was sure the disrespect would just bring him three steps back, and so he simply shook his head. “Of course not.” It was hard being so respectful when his heart had just been put through a flurry of rage and hatred moments before.

“I believe this is called a  _ second chance. _ One that humanity does not deserve.” The man’s smirk seemed to widen, if it was even possible at that point, and Akechi briefly wondered what kind of madman would think that of the entire world. Of course, he didn’t know if he was one to talk, either, and so he didn’t. It didn’t seem as though he needed to, anyways, as the girl to the right of his cell spoke up, her eyes gazing sharply over at the man.

“And yet you still agreed to it, Yaldabaoth.”

The man - Yaldabaoth? The name sounded familiar, but barely - didn’t speak for a moment. “I was offered a wager I couldn’t lose.”

The third person, who hadn’t spoken yet, shifted slightly, and both the girl and old man turned to him. Akechi couldn’t clearly see him, light from the center of the room casting shadows 

on him, and that almost made him more of a menace than the two arguing between each other.

However, he spoke soon after, and Akechi’s blood ran cold.

“Your lack of faith in us is astounding.” Akira’s voice rang loud and clear, and he finally shifted into view, the white of his  _ Joker _ mask flaring up in the sudden light. “But if that’s what you think, then there’s no reason for us to argue any longer.”

Both Yaldabaoth and the girl nodded tersely, but Akechi growled, hands slamming against the bars. Like hell they were going to reach an unspoken agreement without telling him why he was being treated like a pawn whose very existence was information beyond his paygrade. Yaldabaoth seemed to pay him no mind as his tantrum bubbled back up his throat, and the girl had paid him no heed before either way, so the only one playing witness to his building rage was the one who seemed to always be the cause. The one he had  _ almost _ had a change of heart for.

“You bas-”

The world turned to black.

* * *

 

Akechi was used to waking up in cold sweats, but this was different somehow- rather, he knew exactly  _ why _ it was different, as his heart palpitations confirmed that he was once more alive. The dream he had moments prior was still burned deeply into his mind, chains and jails and  _ Joker _ -

He pulled his covers away, lunging out of bed and reaching for his cellphone- the time glowed a cheery white. Four fifty-four in the morning. He almost breathed a sigh of relief, but the words underneath turned comfort into dread.

_ April eleventh. _

It had been November, last he had checked, and last time he had checked, he had been  _ dead, _ or at least  _ dying. _ Words flashed through his mind - predicament,  _ second chance, wager _ \- and a sickening twist of his gut overtook him. There was no way that he had......

And yet everything else was real. Personas, the Metaverse, even deities masquerading as demons, so why not rebirth? Surely it was at least possible, the only thing he had to do was figure out who-

His hand curled tightly around his phone, no doubt leaving marks in his palm where metal pressed against skin. He knew exactly  _ who. _ Those damn phantom thieves- a second chance, maybe not for him but for them. He had  _ died, _ and they weren’t the kinds of kids who  _ killed. _ Was this all some ruse, a way for them to feign innocence? Go back to the beginning and prevent him from being their fatal flaw?

The thought almost made him laugh if it hadn’t hurt so much. Covering their asses like cowards. He shouldn’t have expected any more from them after all. Standing up, he barely resisted the urge to slam his phone back on the nightstand and instead threw it on the bed, a mix of emotions coursing dangerously through his veins. Rage, spite, cruel satisfaction.....

By god, he was going to pay his favorite thieves a little  _ visit. _


	2. Reunion in a One-Way Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi sees a Phantom Thief, but not the one he wanted. However, as fate would have it, _nothing_ is as he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sucks. Like, straight up it'll (probably) be the worst chapter in the story. 
> 
> [spoilers: the encounter with Ryuji is severely rushed in order to start the first Palace arc within this chapter, and the writing for the first half of the chapter is really out of my element- that'll make more sense when you read it.]
> 
> That being said, it'll most definitely be rewritten in the future, along with a rewrite of the first chapter/prologue for general pacing issues. I just really needed to get this bit out here to push the plot forward- also, I felt like if I didn't get something out, I would never be able to get the fic to where it needs to be. Waiting almost two weeks for a chapter this short isn't something I like making people do....but it's something I may end up doing more than I want to.
> 
> Anyways, I really hope you enjoy it regardless, and if not (or if so), please leave a comment below, with what you thought was good, what you thought I could work on, or just how you felt about the chapter in general!

Rain was fitting for the day, Akechi decided. Washing away the past, bringing in a new day covered in the smell of fresh air. Yes, it was a fine day to finish what the Phantom Thieves had started before it even began.

The ride to Shujin was filled with muted anger hidden behind an easygoing mask, and Akechi was silently relieved that he could still keep his composure when thinking about  _ them.  _ Nobody on the train seemed to spare him a second glance, save for the occasional teen whispering his name to their friend. That did even more to relax him; he was still famous. He was still better than them.  _ Nothing _ could take that from him.

Still, there was a tense discomfort under the surface; they -  _ Joker, _ at least - had the power to turn back time, to erase all of their mistakes. Why had he not done it when Akechi had killed Okumura? Was there supposed to be some lesson gained from it? Or perhaps it was time-based, a certain point where they could commit it-

He shook his head. He was a traitor, not an  _ idiot, _ and he was wise enough to realize that it didn’t matter at the moment. He could puzzle through the  _ hows _ and  _ whys _ after making sure they stayed out of his hair this time. 

The sound of bustling as the doors slid open brought Akechi out of his thoughts, and it took a conscious effort to not be swept away by the crowd; he almost had his attache case jostled out of his grip as it was, and no good would come from having his personal belongings scattered all over the floor of the subway station. Stumbling slightly, he tried to stay composed as he stepped off of the train, but a mop of brightly colored hair on the other side of the tracks made him freeze in his tracks.

There, in all of his idiotic, class delinquent glory, was one of the thieves he was looking for, his bag swung haphazardly over his shoulder as he scowled at his phone.  _ Skull, _ his mind oh so helpfully supplied him, although he could have repeated their names, codenames, birthdays, home addresses  _ and _ favorite seasons off the top of his head. The amount of time and effort that went into trapping them, putting them  _ right _ where he wanted them, just to have them slip out of his fingers.....he would never forget it. Sucking in a deep breath, his face hardened into a neutral mask, and he walked forward.

He moved as silently as he could, following Ryuji out into the rain. He seemed irritated - at the weather, most likely - but his irritation only grew as a car rolled up to him. For a moment, Akechi wondered if it belonged to another Phantom Thief, and hid himself in the shadows, hoping they wouldn’t notice him; however, the window cranked down revealing an older man bearing a wide grin.

It was a mask of condescension if Akechi had ever seen one.

There was somebody else in the car, judging by the flash of blond he saw in the gap between the man and the headrest, but Akechi was far away as it was, and getting any closer would have raised suspicion. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his first chance at catching one of the thieves unaware; who knew when his next chance would come.

“Hey, need a ride?”

Ryuji scowled more, if that was even possible, and Akechi took the moment to instead focus on the man. He was Suguru Kamoshida, the first victim of the thieves’ metaverse escapades, and Akechi was well aware of that much, but he was hard-pressed to remember the details. It had nothing to do with Shido, after all....not specifically, at least, not as far as Akechi had been concerned. But now he was berating himself for not paying closer attention, and in his thoughts he almost missed Kamoshida drive off and Ryuji turn to angrily kick at a puddle, water splashing him and making him even more irritable in turn.

Akechi waited for just a few more moments, watching with sharp eyes as Ryuji walked past him, not noticing him in the slightest. Akechi wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or offended that the densest member of the thieves hadn’t even noticed his worst enemy standing - rather obviously to anybody looking for him - pressed against a wall to hide himself. While he would be thankful on other days, he wanted to see  _ something _ directed at him; anger, surprise,  _ anything  _ to give Akechi the smug satisfaction of having the upper hand before the game even started.

Finally, fed up with fruitlessly waiting and watching, he darted out, grabbing Ryuji’s arm roughly before pulling him into the nearest alley.

It came as a surprise for both of them; Ryuji for being accosted, of course, but Akechi also for the split-second decision, not knowing what to do after finally getting his hands on him. Regardless, instinct took over for him and he slammed Ryuji against the brick alleyway, holding him by his collar and snarling. There was nobody else, nobody who could see that  _ dirty _ side of him, and he was sick of his inhibitions holding back his rage at the blond.  _ “What did you do?” _

Ryuji’s expression was a mix of fear and anger, like Akechi had assumed it would be, but something was off, and Akechi couldn’t place it, even as Ryuji struggled against his grip, hands tightening around his wrist in an attempt to force him off. “What the hell, dude,” he spluttered, one leg raising up to try and kick Akechi away, “get the hell offa me! What’s your problem?!”

Something clicked in Akechi’s mind, and he immediately dropped his hand, still scowling angrily at Ryuji but giving him enough space to sputter and gasp for breath. That was what had felt off, he realized, the lack of light that flashed through Ryuji’s eyes, the spark of recognition that was just..... _ nonexistent. _

_ “You’re _ my problem,” he couldn’t help but grind out, even as he tried to wrestle his own mask back on. It proved a fruitless endeavor, however, and his scowl felt like a permanent addition to his face with the way Ryuji glared at him.

“Shut up, I don’t even  _ know _ you! God, you’re effin’ crazy, man....! First Kamoshida and now you, what’s wrong with you?” His rage turned slowly into angry muttering as he brushed himself off and grabbed his schoolbag where it had fallen to the ground. While  _ Ryuji’s _ anger was evident, however, a new wave of emotion washed over Akechi- something he couldn’t explain.

It wasn’t as though his anger had disappeared completely; no, Ryuji was still Ryuji and nothing could erase the past that Akechi had struggled through because of him and the others, but there was a growing spark of resentment and - dare he admit it -  _ fear _ at the way Ryuji treated him like a nobody. He had been so smug at the thought of taking down the phantom thieves, and yet he hadn’t factored in what he would do if his appearance didn’t have the effect on them that he had wanted.

It was as if they were winning a psychological war they didn’t know they were fighting, and it pissed him off even more.

He barely noticed as Ryuji shot him a final glare and began to stalk off, and noticed even less how his own footsteps echoed his, following the blond out of the alley. Ryuji noticed perfectly well, however, and his pace only increased as he made his way through the rain, turning back and scowling at Akechi every so often before finally stopping in his tracks and turning around abruptly. “Stop followin’ me, damnit!”

“I’m not.” His expression was schooled back almost immediately, as if getting caught had brought him back to the situation at hand. “I’m on my way to Shujin Academy, myself; why, did you think otherwise?”

The incredulity on Ryuji’s face would have been mirrored on Akechi’s own if he had the chance. Flipping from accosting Ryuji to treating him so flippantly was weak,  _ especially _ for him. “Uh, I’m not an  _ idiot, _ dude.” While debatable at any other time, Akechi couldn’t help but begrudgingly give him the point for now. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, or  _ why _ you’re being so weird, but leave me alone. It’s bad enough that Kamoshida treats the school like his own personal castle, I don’t need  _ you _ harassing me outside of it, too.”

“I’m not harassing-”

His protests were cut off by a high-pitched beep, followed by a muffled voice from Akechi’s coat pocket, and he paled- the exact opposite as the sky, which started to warp into a dark amalgamation of red and black. There was no doubt in his mind  _ what _ had happened, but the  _ why _ escaped him; his navigation app wasn’t supposed to just randomly turn  _ on _ -

However, what was even odder was the way Ryuji had completely ignored his protest and was now squinting up at the sky, as if he expected a reason to just fall from it. “Freakin’ weather ganging up on me too, I swear.” He kicked at the sidewalk - still a normal sidewalk, fortunately - before turning back away from Akechi. “Listen, I’m already late as it is, but if you’re  _ really _ just heading the same way as me, you might wanna hurry.”

For once that day, Akechi felt  _ unease. _ Not fear, not anger, but a chilled tension in his body that told him something was going to go wrong. No, he could visit Shujin another day, or even not at all; he knew where Akira lived, anyways, so it wasn’t any stretch of the imagination to say he wasn’t as rushed for answers as he was in a previous life.

However, the hand suddenly grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward made both him  _ and _ his thoughts stumble, and any attempts at trying to pull his hand out of Ryuji’s grip were in vain. “Let me  _ go, _ ” he tried to be forceful, but Ryuji just shot him a look that showed he was buying none of it.

“You were  _ just heading to Shujin, _ right? Unless you want to  _ admit _ that you dragged me into an alley specifically to beat me up.”

There was a beat of silence. He unfortunately had a point.

Fortunately, however, Akechi had the upper hand this time. There was a split second thought, something he should have realized sooner, and something that he grabbed before it could be dogpiled under the guilt that he shouldn’t have felt. Getting rid of Ryuji would be  _ easy _ in a Palace, especially if he actually  _ was _ unaware of the circumstances and not just faking it extremely well. Not to mention, if he got rid of a few of Akira’s  _ friends _ before they even began to partner up, it would make his job so much easier in the long run if Akira did decide to come after him.

_ Teamwork, his ass, _ his mind bit back at the thought. There was nothing noble or grandiose about Joker; he had been using others to further his goals just like the rest of the world, and Akechi had been a fool to buy into it the first time. Akira had just been charismatic enough to rally the other brats with no homes, and nothing more.

“Right,” he finally replied, nodding; Ryuji seemed to be content with the answer, as he continued to drag a more willing Akechi towards the school. It still wasn’t the perfect situation, by far, and Akechi would have preferred going somewhere he had more knowledge of, like some secluded part of the Metaverse, or even Mementos if he really had to. But it was the best he was going to get at the moment, and if he didn’t take the shot, he wasn’t sure when he’d get another one this convenient.

He still struggled to get his wrist out of Ryuji’s grip, however, and after several moments of pulling finally managed to yank his arm away- but it wasn't due to his own strength. No, Ryuji seemed far more preoccupied with the building in front of them, the one that replaced their school. “The hell? I swear the school was just here, dude!” He walked up to the sign in front - it still read  _ Shujin Academy, _ which at least proved Ryuji right - and decided it annoying enough to kick, recoiling immediately after his foot made contact with brick. “Ow, f-”

“I wonder if kicking  _ solid brick _ hurts,” Akechi hummed thoughtfully, staring smugly at Ryuji and receiving a scowl in return. It didn’t hurt toying with him for a bit, he supposed; as soon as they were further into Kamoshida’s Palace, somewhere Ryuji couldn’t easily escape, he would start taking it seriously. For the time being, however, his attention turned back to the school. “Is this it? It’s not exactly how they advertise it in the brochures.”

Of course it wasn’t; where Shujin usually stood was now Kamoshida’s  _ cognitive _ version of it, a giant, grotesque castle towering above the rest of the landscape. Now, Akechi had seen some pretty bad Palaces in his time, it came with the territory, but he had to admit that this one took the metaphorical cake. While others had been perverse, Kamoshida was just...... _ perverted. _ “Well, regardless,” he tried to act nonchalant about the whole ordeal- easy enough, considering his comfort with the Metaverse. “This  _ does _ seem to be our destination, and it would be a shame to not at least ask for directions.”

He smiled winningly at Ryuji - once more making both himself  _ and _ Ryuji gag at his own acting - and gestured at the double doors in front of them.

“Shall we go in?”

* * *

 

The interior was just as gaudy as the exterior, and Akechi wondered vaguely how the phantom thieves had survived their first Palace when the upholstery looked like it was ready to give them STDs. However, that was neither here nor there, and so he pushed the thoughts to the side, instead keeping a sharp eye on the Shadows nearby, all huddling around each other. They were easy to spot, considering they looked like medieval guards, and most likely weak compared to some of the more well-guarded cognitions he had been in. Fortunately, though, he doubted he would have any trouble with them to begin with; Kamoshida didn’t like Ryuji to begin with, so backstabbing Skull in front of him wouldn’t be seen as an attack on Kamoshida himself.

It also helped that Ryuji didn’t know anything about the Metaverse yet, and was currently walking up to the Shadows as if they were casual tour guides. “Hey, uh.....” He looked ready to make a quip about their outfits, but as soon as his eyes flicked to their spears, decided against it. Smart. “Listen, we’re kinda turned around, and we really need to-”

“Intruders?” It was as if they hadn’t noticed Ryuji at first, but one of them glanced up, causing the other two to also turn towards him. “Freeze, you’re trespassing upon the king’s castle.”

Ryuji looked flabbergasted, and Akechi would have been more amused if he wasn’t suddenly hyper aware of the two Shadows behind him, flanking them and starting to surround them. Maybe letting Ryuji take the lead was a  _ bad _ idea. “Listen, we just want directions to school,” he retorted, “not to be some part of this shitty period drama!” They seemed not to notice his words at all, however, as the slowly forming circle of Shadows tightened around them, forcing Ryuji to step closer to Akechi. As much as Akechi wanted to push Ryuji straight into one of the spears, however, he held his ground, waiting and watching. Something was  _ wrong, _ but he couldn’t tell what, and it was almost driving him crazy. “Hey,” he vaguely heard Ryuji shout at one of the guard Shadows, “why aren’t you listening to me?!”

“Because they don’t listen to common rabble like you.” Akechi snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the new voice, recognizing it as Kamoshida before registering what his Shadow looked like- and immediately regretting looking at the “king” at all. He was wearing no pants, and the only thing covering him from his knees up - that he could see - was a large, gaudy cape. Ryuji looked just as disgusted as Akechi felt, and he wondered if it was tenfold due to their shared history. “Still sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, Sakamoto?”

“What the hell’s going on, Kamoshida?” Ryuji took the chance to yell at him, causing the Shadows around them to shift menacingly as they took it as an attack on their leader. “Don’t tell me this bullshit is all your idea of a sick joke!”

As the tension grew between Ryuji and Kamoshida, Akechi began to reach into himself, searching for a weapon to get him out of this situation. All he had to do was summon Loki before Ryuji dug their graves, thereby appeasing Kamoshida and getting rid of Skull once and for all. Two birds with one stone, and all that-

-or so he thought.

“The hell are you just standing there for, dude? Back me up!” Ryuji’s words registered vaguely in the corner of his mind, but he had neither the desire nor the strength to talk back to any Shadow at the moment. Robin Hood hadn’t answered his call when he had first tried to summon him, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself; he had long since discarded the ‘mask’ that Robin was, back when he had gone into his blind frenzy against the phantom thieves, and he assumed that this was just backlash from his mask, telling him that Robin Hood was no longer a part of him, or just no longer necessary. No, it wasn’t the end of the world, not until he realized that he could no longer even summon  _ Loki, _ the only constant that had been in his life, the one weapon he could rely on. Both Robin and Loki were refusing to heed his call, and he was lost without them- even moreso than he previously thought.

“Still not convinced, Sakamoto? Perhaps some quality time in the dungeons will clear your head- I want you level headed for your execution.” Even as Akechi scrabbled for his Personae, trying to find even a sliver of the familiar power he was far too reliant on, the Shadows began to converge, hitting Ryuji roughly and sending him sprawling onto the ground. “Oh, and guards?” Kamoshida continued, as if Akechi were nothing but an afterthought. “Take his friend away, too.”

And for all the different emotions and fears running through his head, for all of the powerlessness and helplessness that he had never wanted to feel again in his life, Akechi could only say one thing to sum it all up before the blunt end of a spear slammed the back of his head roughly, bringing him into unwelcome darkness.

_ “Shit.” _


	3. Revelation of Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A single scene- a loss, a forfeit, and an awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter is super short, but I needed to get this out before it festered any longer and I couldn't stand to look at it again. It's already been.....almost three months? Damn.

“Dude, wake up, this isn’t the time to be slacking around.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m suffering from a concussion. I do believe I’m allowed to rest if I want to.”

“Doesn’t that, I dunno, kill you or something?”

Akechi cracked one eye open, squinting at Ryuji in the dim light. While Ryuji was _still_ acting like their situation was one whacky period drama, even while trapped in what looked and felt like a real dungeon, Akechi was still going through what felt like the longest existential crisis known to mankind. If only he could summon Loki and blast them out of the prison they were in- but if he could, then he wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. “Perhaps that’s the idea,” he finally replied before closing his eye again. It was all just irritated quips, but he didn’t see any other way out of their situation, not when his only weapons had been taken from him.

“What the hell, dude-” Just as he was beginning to drift off amidst Ryuji’s complaints, a scream pierced the air, echoing off of the stone walls and causing him to cringe. He knew it was a cognition - it had to be, when he and Ryuji were the only _real_ people in the Palace - but it was startling, and cognitions were still all too real to somebody who dealt with them every day. “What was that?”

“I’m not sure, but it’ll be us soon enough.” It just wasn’t possible to keep the growl out of his voice, but it wasn’t as though Ryuji didn’t know it anyways; he had been nothing but hostile, and trying to hide it was getting bothersome _and_ futile.

“Damn right it will be.” Both Akechi and Ryuji jumped slightly at the voice, turning to see Kamoshida at the door to the cell. They hadn’t heard him, which wasn’t odd by itself- he was the Shadow, after all, the master of the Palace, and he had the upper hand as soon as they stepped foot into it. However, it was also worrisome that they hadn’t heard the guards flanking him, not even with their shining armor clanking obviously now that Akechi was aware of their presence. “You think you could get away with entering _my_ castle? You must be stupider than I gave you credit for.”

“Why you basta-” Ryuji’s reaction was cut off as a stepped back and yelped, surprised by the cell door suddenly swinging open. He tried to back up even further as the guards approached him, but there was only so far he could go before they were able to pin him against the wall. “Yo, what the hell?!”

Akechi, unfortunately, wasn’t left out, either; one guard grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground, and he landed on the stone with a heavy _thud._ Unfortunately, his mask was already breaking, and he couldn’t stop the snarl that tore out of his throat. “Don’t _touch me,_ you pig.” His glare was directed first to the guard, and then to Kamoshida. “You must not know who you’re dealing with.”

He knew he was digging his own grave - without Robin _or_ Loki on his side, he was nothing more than a mouse sitting in the lion’s paw - and Kamoshida knew it, too. Instead of scowling, getting angry at the rebellion in Akechi’s eyes, he simply smirked, looking down on him like Akechi had done to others so easily in another world. “I guess I don’t,” came his haughty drawl, “but does it matter? Guards, kill this one first. I want him gutted like a fish by the time I get back.”

“Aye, aye!” Two guards hauled him up and pinned him against the wall as Kamoshida swept out of the room, the door clanging shut behind him. This was it, Akechi realized, stuck between the stone wall and two metal behemoths. There was no wildcard to save him this time, no great power to surge forward and protect his life, or his dreams. Goro Akechi was going to die for a second time, and this time he was going to be even farther from his goal than the first time around.

He shut his eyes, and everything turned black.

* * *

 

**_“You claim power, and yet you rely on the powers forced upon you to save you from these wretched mongrels? Laughable- true strength comes not from what others expect you to be, but what you expect from others. Is it in your right to decide when to give up?”_ **

 

His head snapped up and his eyes flew open- not to find the owner of the voice, no, he knew full well that it was coming from his own mind. Rather, he was surprised to hear it at all- it was neither Loki _nor_ Robin Hood, instead taking on a lilting quality, almost as if the voice itself were changing with every word.

“I....” He hesitated. This new voice....they were _wrong,_ they _had_ to be. Everything he had done up until now- everything in his other life had been achieved through _his_ will, and _his_ dedication. It wasn’t Shido’s, it wasn’t Akira’s, it was _his,_ and he had been a fool all along to rely so heavily on others, even if _others_ were his own Personae. This struggle was his and his _alone,_ and if he couldn’t get out of it now, then where had he ever been before? There had to be something he could do, _anything....._

_He could fight back._

As soon as he so much as thought it, a burning sensation began to spread through his body, growing hotter and more intolerable as the seconds ticked away. It left Akechi gasping for air, struggling against the Shadows holding him against the wall in hopes that he could run away from the source of the pain; of course it was impossible, but primal fear gripped at him just as much as the pain did, and nothing coherent entered his mind except for the want- no, the _need_ to stop the burning.

 

**_“Very well, then- with your determination, I’ll give you the power that you’ve always wanted, the power that others could never grant you themselves!”_ **

 

Pain racked his body, muscles burning and bones aching as if he were being crushed alive. He had never experienced this kind of pain before, not even when summoning Loki for the first time, and it _terrified_ him. A scream pierced the air, and his mind was so clouded by the fire under his skin that he almost didn't realize it came from his own lips; still, the voice ringed in his ears, louder than his own, continuing to talk and grow fiercer with every syllable.

 

 _“_ **_I am thou, thou art I....from the sea of thy soul, I come....if thou desirest to reach the true limits of thine power, then look upon the shackles of thine false masks, and tear thy chain of prejudices asunder. I am the countenance of all identities thrust upon thee-”_ **

 

Fingers scrabbling at his face, feeling edges of cloth where there were none before, Akechi's nails dug into his mask, tearing it away as he shouted an echo of his new Persona’s name-

 

#  **_“Twenty Faces!”_ **


End file.
